The present invention generally relates to identification bracelets for identifying persons and/or objects. More particularly, the present invention relates to identification bracelets which are designed such so as to not require a removable cover shield.
The use of identification bracelets is extensive, both in traditional areas such as hospital patient admissions and other applications such as crowd control and patron identification. In addition to being suitably attachable to the person or object to be identified, one of the main requirements of such bracelets is that they must carry appropriate and/or desired information relevant to the person or object to whom the bracelet is attached. Many varieties of bracelets presently meet these two broad criteria.
Various closures are utilized to operatively affix such bracelets to the person or object to be identified. In broad terms, these closures may be described as either mechanical or adhesive. Mechanical closures can increase the cost of the bracelet and typically cannot be fed through a printer, and therefore must be assembled with a bracelet subsequent to the imprinting of information on a bracelet. The downstream assembly process can be cumbersome and inventories of the various components of the mechanical closure must typically be maintained adjacent to the output side of the printer, adding to the administrative burden and time and expense necessary to utilize such systems.
Adhesive closure bracelets can eliminate many of these problems. For example, certain adhesive closure bracelets can be fed through printers. However, the structure of the closures themselves can effect the ability of the printer to accurately print information, especially adjacent to the closure itself. In other words, the additional layers or laminates of materials that are typically utilized to fabricate the closure portion of adhesive closure bracelets, such as removable cover strips that are eventually removed to expose the adhesive prior to attaching the bracelet to a person, can effect the quality and even the feasibility of imprinting information near the closure.
Adhesive closure identification bracelets typically utilize a disposable, throw-away tab or shield which covers the adhesive until just prior to use, at which time the shield is removed from the adhesive and discarded, such as that illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,133. This presents several disadvantages. The cover tab or shield, sometimes referred to as a removable release liner, becomes waste which must be disposed of in some way. If the shields are not properly disposed of, the separation of the shields from the bands at the point of application can pollute the environment, especially in outdoor applications. Moreover, appropriate disposal (especially in view of the large volumes of bracelets which are frequently used) necessarily requires an increase in the labor associated with the use of the bracelet.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to eliminate the removable cover shield while still presenting an adhesive closure bracelet which is capable of being printed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,906 discloses an adhesive closure for an identification band having a shield which is adapted to partially releasably overlie an adhesive portion of the band while remaining engaged with the identification band so as not to be released and become waste. While serving generally adequately, care must be taken not to completely remove the shield when closing the band.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,426 discloses a uniform thickness adhesive closure identification bracelet which also avoids the use of removable cover shields. A movable cover portion is formed as part of one of the laminates and is adapted to be moved from a covering relationship to a non-covering relationship with respect to an adhesive disposed between two or more of the laminates. However, care must be taken not to completely delaminate the bracelet.
Thus, there is a continuing need for an adhesive identification bracelet which is capable of being printed in a traditional manner while avoiding the use of removable cover shields. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.